


Cooking

by levinson_mannion



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, tw Doug Kendall, tw implied domestic violence, tw panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26727691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levinson_mannion/pseuds/levinson_mannion
Summary: Based on @Jessie2126 story ”Perfection”
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Cooking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jessie2126](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessie2126/gifts).



“Asparagus, rice, onion, chives...” Maddie counted each ingredient for the up teenth time. She (stupidly) mentioned she was making some pasta for dinner that night, and Chim offered to help. She tried to not get him involved but he was percistant and is now coming over to help her.  
A knock came at the door, Maddie chew led her already open app to see a waving and smiling Chimney on the other side. She took a deep breath and plastered a passing smile on her face.

“Hey! I brought garlic bread, I hope you don’t mind!” He smiles nervously holding up the shopping bag he held in his hand.

“Of course! Come in!” Maddie held the door open, held her hand as if to welcome him in and tried to stop her hand from shaking out of anxiety.

“So... just to warn you, I am not the best a cooking, I just grab a bite to eat, I have not cooked anything from scratch in ages.” He nervously laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh don’t worry, I am not the best either!” She smiled at him and then stared at the ingredients layed out neatly on the table. Maddie, calm down. It is just Chim, you will be fine.

“Maddie?” Chim inquired, he had obviously been talking, but Maddie had not been paying any attention, to busy focusing on trying to calm her racing thoughts, “I am sorry Chim, I got lost then, what did you say?” She smiled hoping to cover her little faux pas.

“Chopping or boiling?”

“Ur,” Maddie has to think about this. Chopping meant more control over what she was doing, however doing the boiling would reduse the risk of a panic attack. In the end she decided to do the chopping as a voice in her head (a deep males voice to be exact) told her to be in control and make it perfect. “I will do the chopping- unless you want to?” 

“No, no it is fine!” He smiled at her and turned around to face the hob, which to his surprise (well not really- when he thought about it was inevitable with Maddie) was all set up with pots and pans.

After around ten minutes of not uttering a word, Chim looked over at Maddie. He had melted butter and started cooking the rice meanwhile Maddie had chopped the onions so finely, all the exact same size by the looks of it and the asparagus was cut exactly like what the menu said: the tips cut off and the stalks exactly four centimetres. She had now however moved onto the chives. Chim had never seen such equally cut chives in his life. While everyone he knew just quickly brought there knife along not exactly caring about the size but Maddie took one piece at a time and chopped it, measuring with her eyes. Her hand started shaking and she threw three, no four finely chopped chives into the bin. 

Oh gosh. Why can I not do this? This is simple Maddie! Cut the ruddy chives! This needs to be perfect! Oh no, he will hit you Maddie! Come on. No! Why are your hands shaking! Oh gosh Maddie! Come on! Maddie’s internal monologue was similar to a night a few months earlier while making lasagna with chives.

Maddie was not even in the room, she was back to the 15th December 2018 the last day she made a meal, when she had been told to make dinner- just for the two of them. He had looked over her, nitpicking and correcting everything little thing she did. When she did not cut the chives perfectly she got told to start again and while he was shouting at her, she cut horribly and the beef started to burn. Doug had threw all the ingredients at her, cooked and not then his anger continued, till she locked herself in the bathroom, him knocking and shouting at the door till he gave up and walked away. That day, Maddie had a broken rib, a black eye and around 15 bruises to add to her collection.

Chimney quietly turned the hob off, and slowly walked over to Maddie who, still holding the knife in her right hand, had taken a step backwards. Chimney called her name, her eyes flashed in recognition but nothing else shown that she heard him. Chimney then slowly walked up to her and, as gently as possible, took the knife slowly from her hands. This surprised Maddie, causing her to to stubble backwards, then around to fast, bring a plate with her. The sound of the plate smashing made Maddie fall even deeper into her torturous past.  
“I, I am so s-sorry. I’ll I’ll clean it up. I, I please don’t hurt m me. I’ll clean up, I-I am sorry. It was my fault.” 

“Maddie? Maddie? I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but I promise you I will never heart you. You are here in your kitchen in LA with me- Chimney- and I just want to help.” Chim’s heart broke at the sight of her bent down picking up broken shards of the floor, cutting herself in the process. He slowly started to move his hands towards hers, slowing down as he got nearer. “It is alright, I got you.” He started extracting the sharp plate pieces from her hands. 

This seemed to bring her back in into the room. “Chim?” She looked up with chocolate brown eyes filled with tears, bottom lip trembling. His big brown eyes looked into hers with concern and worry, so very different from Doug’s cruel eyes. 

“It’s alright! I got you.” He gently stood her up, when she then, not realising her hands were bleeding, put her head in both hands. He smiled, grabbed the first aid kit and led Maddie to the bathroom, letting her lead the way once they reached upstairs. 

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?” His voice held such kindness and eyes portrayed so much compassion as he uttered them. He started to take the shards out her hands with tweezers. He then let her was her hands and and face in the sink before he bandaged then. She looked back at him with a half smile.

“So, you probably want me to explain all that. Unless you want to go, you have done so much for me already. I am a bit much. You can choose to go I will not be offended.

“I do not want to go, unless you want me to. I want to take care of you. But I do not want you to be uncomfortable.” Her smile grew, “You do not need to explain if you do not want to. I can lend an ear or just sit with you, your choice.” He knew she had a difficult past with her husband off Buck, and the other two times he had met up with her, but as this is only there third meeting together, he did not want to force her. In the end she just shook her head slightly, closing her eyes.

“So, do you want to order something?” Chim asked after a bit of a silence.

“But what about the food...” Maddie trailed off, pointing down stairs.

“If you want, but I did not know if, you know, was uncomfortable with it or...” it was his turn to stop mid sentence. 

“Chinese?” She asked and he nodded.

They both headed downstairs, and after some conversation (including a very stubborn Maddie) Chim went to clean up the kitchen, grab his phone and headed back to the sofa where he left Maddie. 

“So the pal-” he stopped midsentence, seeing Maddie fast asleep, curled up under the blanket she leaves on the sofa, looking absolutely adorable.

Chim sat in the chair opposite her, smiled and let her rest.

‘This, evening ended in rather a good way’ he thought quietly to himself. He then made a promise to himself and Maddie that he would never buy chives again.


End file.
